


a savior and a lost cause

by that_one_urchin



Category: Legacies (TV 2018)
Genre: F/F, F/M, Minor Character Death, Season Rewrite Challenge, Slow Burn, Tension
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-19
Updated: 2020-10-11
Packaged: 2021-03-07 21:20:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,550
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26524366
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/that_one_urchin/pseuds/that_one_urchin
Summary: Hope has a hard time navigating life at Mystic Falls High and being forgotten, while Josie battles against herself and the new emotions that arise over the course of the school year.-Season 2 rewrite, starting from 2x03.
Relationships: Hope Mikaelson/Josie Saltzman, Landon Kirby/Hope Mikaelson, Landon Kirby/Josie Saltzman, Maya Machado/Lizzie Saltzman
Comments: 59
Kudos: 211
Collections: going_classic TVD favorites





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This fic is very, very slow burn hosie. I can’t stress that enough. It has more focus on all of the characters as a whole and is different from everything else I’ve written, but I promise hosie endgame. It’s sort of canon, but not really, as I got rid of some aspects (like Sebastian doesn’t exist).
> 
> Also, I know I have other fics to update and I promise I’ll get to them all but I couldn’t get this one off my mind.

Hope Mikaelson steps onto the field, feeling a bit odd and out of place while wearing black and red instead of blue and yellow.

It’s almost as if she is watching her life through someone else’s eyes. Everything is familiar, from the clean cut of grass on the ground to the teens on it, the Salvatore Stallions whispering amongst themselves while the Mystic Falls Timberwolves huddle together to plot football plays. It’s familiar, but not totally right, because Hope stands on the wrong side of the field, away from her friends and everyone else she knows.

She can just make out the Saltzman twins in the distance, nearby MG and Landon. Landon looks uncomfortable with the football in his hands, but MG is revved up and using grand hand gestures to make the two girls laugh. Hope has the urge to use her superior hearing to listen in, but knows it would only make all of this hurt more. She stares at them for a moment longer, as if in mourning, before directing her attention elsewhere.

Maya nudges her purposefully and flashes an encouraging grin. “Ready to play?”

No.

“Yeah.” Hope has never been one to participate in sports. She finds them boring and a little bit pointless.

Still, in the spirit of appearing normal and saving Alaric’s sanity, Hope doesn’t protest as she walks with Maya to the middle of the field. They meet Josie and Lizzie there, along with a posh, old guy who is highly overdressed for the occasion.

Hope eyes the new professor suspiciously, not sure why someone as young and sensible as Caroline Forbes would hire him.

“Let us begin our annual rite of American excess, but unlike last year I expect no unseemly violence, only for each team to play to the fullest extent of their abilities.” He shares a glance with Josie, which only serves to unsettle Hope further. “Understood?”

Josie gives an almost imperceptible nod.

The twins haven’t changed much since Hope last saw them, at least appearance wise. Josie is still soft around the edges, her cheeks rounded in a way that brings subtle attention to her youth. Her skin is a shade darker, tan from the summer sun, and the fading hints of freckles can be spotted on her neck. She looks much happier.

Hope swallows and points her gaze elsewhere, aware that if she stares too long it’ll seem creepy.

She can’t fight the pang of sadness that hits her at the sight of Josie. Stupidly, Hope had been looking forward to the summer. She’d managed to become more comfortable with the twins and Landon, only for all of it to feel meaningless now. They had certainly moved on without her.

He had certainly moved on without her.

“Timberwolves, you may, as they say, call it in the air.” Professor British flicks the coin up with his thumb.

“Heads.”

It flips twice before landing on tails.

Maya seems slightly disappointed by this, but Hope couldn’t care less. The coin toss doesn’t matter either way, she knows how these games usually go, unless the new headmaster is planning something else. Alaric probably wouldn’t like that much.

They all shake hands. Hope tries not to linger for too long, but Josie has no such qualms, and stares at Hope intensely. She stares at Hope like she _remembers_ , which is impossible, but Hope is shaken by it anyways. Her heart trembles against her chest for the few seconds that her and Josie maintain contact and doesn’t still until she moves onto Lizzie.

For once, Lizzie is less dramatic about things. An odd flush shows on the blonde’s cheeks and her heartbeat sounds off in Hope’s ears, the pace too quick to be natural. Hope glances between Lizzie and Maya questioningly, noticing that Lizzie isn’t exactly being subtle with her leering.

Hmm.

The two teams break away, slowly drifting off to opposite sides of the field. Hope catches a piece of a conversation Lizzie is having with Kaleb.

“I thought you were totally boy crazy.” Kaleb flips the ball in his hands as he talks, looking reluctant to hand it off to Landon.

“Not totally.” Hope has to strain her ears to hear Lizzie’s response. “And I have other interests…”

The words become too quiet to hear as they get farther and farther away, and Hope realizes she has been standing around uselessly for nearly a minute. She jogs off to go join her new team.

Maya places her hand on Hope’s shoulder and gives it a short squeeze, coaxing her closer into the huddle, as if Hope knows anything about football at all. She tries to look useful while everyone else talks, although it feels sort of odd to stay silent, since she is used to taking on a leadership role in these kinds of situations.

Super squad.

Thankfully, no one asks Hope to do anything, and she sighs in relief. Soon, she is allowed to simply stand around while Maya kicks the ball.

It goes soaring through the air for a second until Josie catches it and actually holds onto the ball, sprinting forward with ease. It’s surprising, since Josie is normally the one who commits to being a horrible player every time. This year, Josie holds more fire and determination on her shoulders.

It’s not a bad look, exactly. Just different. Hope can barely draw her eyes away.

Landon scampers across the field to cheer Josie on needlessly, his hand held up for a high five, which she gladly accepts. He doesn’t hesitate to interlock their fingers mid-air, the action slightly awkward and messy in a way, but somehow still natural, like they have done it a thousand times before. An easy smile slips onto Josie’s face and she whispers something funny to him that makes Landon laugh, his stomach visibly shaking.

“Do you know them?” Maya asks, the curiosity in her voice borderline unsettling.

Hope tries not to seem too suspicious. “No.”

“I swear, you’re like a secret agent sometimes, Hope.” Maya laughs good-naturedly and the hint of tension drains from Hope’s body. “All stealth.”

Maya may not be completely convinced, but she doesn’t question Hope further. It’s a small detail Hope is incredibly grateful for, Maya’s tendency to keep quiet whenever Hope is acting too weird.

“Yeah, well…” Hope isn’t sure what to say to that, other than _thank you for not commenting on all of my strange actions_.

Maya doesn’t seem to mind. “Come on, we have asses to kick.”

“You mean, you and Ethan have asses to kick.”

“Nope. He’s not playing today, can’t risk blowing out his knee.” She nods towards her brother, who is watching them intently from the sidelines. “So, it looks like you’re our quarterback.”

Shit.

“Oh… great.”

The next few minutes remind Hope that things have definitely changed without her. Her friends are actually playing well, which she guesses has something to do with their new leadership. Even Landon manages to throw the football perfectly, although he seems shocked by his own ability.

It’s clear they’re using magic.

Hope isn’t really sure why. It’s just a game, not something worth risking exposure over.

She wants to pull them all aside and scold them about it, but she obviously can’t do that, so she settles for the next best thing and talks to Alaric as soon as she gets the chance.

“They’re cheating.” Hope says, bluntly, and he flashes her a look.

“Glad to see you’re getting involved with the team.” Alaric comments pointedly, adjusting the ridiculous cap on his head. “It’s very _normal_ of you.”

Hope rolls her eyes. “It’s going to look suspicious if they keep winning.”

“Yeah, well, that’s the least of our problems.” He steps closer and lowers his voice. “Dorian found a missing kid that got attacked earlier. He thinks it could be a Shunka, a monster that only feeds on werewolves.”

“Good thing it’s not a full moon.”

“Yeah, except Rafael has been stuck in wolf form since you left.” Alaric explains in a hiss, like it’s her fault - which she belatedly realizes it is. She forgot she gave him that crescent moon ring, she hadn’t even known he’d turned.

“Shit.” Hope breathes. “I’m the only one that can turn him back. I need to go find him.”

“Language.” Alaric tuts. “But yeah, find a way to ditch the game.”

“On it.”

Hope returns to the field, passing Ethan, who claps and offers her words of encouragement.

While kind and nice to hear, those words do nothing to make Hope any better of a player. She tells everyone to go long, because it’s the one instruction she can think of, and gets into position with only slightly more surety than Landon.

“Yell hike.” Maya calls over her shoulder.

Hope frowns. She knew how to do _that_ , she isn’t totally inept.

“Hike!”

Maya snaps the ball to her and Hope catches it. That isn’t the hard part. The hard part is that she is trying to get out of this match by being injured and no one is even coming close to her, except for Landon, who is staring blankly at her. He has a dopey, endearing expression on his face.

Hope gets the sense that he’s supposed to be the one tackling her.

Landon must come to his senses, because he finally runs towards her and knocks her down. She doesn’t put up a fight. For a brief second, Hope enjoys having him close to her again, but the moment is fleeting.

“Ah.” Hope hisses and grabs her ankle.

Panic immediately crosses his face. “Shit. I didn’t mean to hurt you. Is it broken?”

Her chest warms from his concern, but she puts her focus on pretending to be in actual pain.

“No.” She shakes her head, wincing. “I think it’s just a sprain. I’m going to walk it off.”

Landon helps lift her to her feet, with his hands on her waist, and all of a sudden, Hope feels the pressure of someone glaring intensely into her back. She balances her weight onto one foot and shakes off Landon’s instructions about going to the nurse’s office, stumbling away like some sort of hobbit.

Lizzie would have a thousand jokes to make.

“Josie.” Landon says seriously, his voice full of remorse. “I hurt her.”

Josie scoffs. “No, you didn’t. She’s clearly faking.”

Damn it, Josie.

Hope begins to limp with more purpose, unsure of how Josie could see through her so easily.

-

Being in Landon’s room again after so long is nearly the weirdest part of her day. It’s changed more than she thought it would, the things that show signs of her torn out and forgotten. He has a new Star Wars poster now, a stack of Lord of the Rings DVDs in a different spot than before, and a potted plant nestled in the corner of the room.

The plant’s name is Jerry.

Hope has the sneaking suspicion that Landon wasn’t the one to buy or make the plant, judging by the pretty, loopy font the label is written in.

It smells like Josie everywhere. On the shelves, on the carpet, on the bed. The scent sparks both comfort and possessiveness in Hope. She feels rather territorial, but also reassured at being able to be near the both of them again, in one way or another.

She has to remind herself several times that she isn’t here for Landon, Josie, or Jerry. She’s here for Rafael. He’s out there somewhere, in danger, and it’s her fault, so it’s her job to fix it.

Hope gets what she needs to perform the locator spell and does it without much of a fuss. It turns out that Rafael isn’t very far away, possibly less than two miles into the woods. She puts all of his things back in their proper place before she goes and makes sure to check over everything twice, knowing Landon will grow paranoid if he notices something in his bedroom is misplaced.

It takes a short amount of time for Hope to find him. She knows the woods inside and out, even with the added fear of possibly being attacked by a werewolf-eating creature, and Rafael’s scent isn’t exactly subtle. It’s bold enough to stand out against the smell of dirt and pine.

He’s still the alpha.

Not to say that he gives her any trouble, since Hope is faster and stronger in every way, even with his status. She fixes things pretty quickly and is glad to get him back without having a run in with the monster first.

Mission accomplished.

“Raf, hey. Raf.” Hope throws up a hand over her eyes as soon as he shifts back. “It’s okay.”

Hope helps maintain his modesty by tossing her jacket over his lower body. He unconsciously clutches at the fabric for coverage, pulling it tight over himself. Hope decides she won’t ever ask for that jacket back.

Rafael whimpers, low and strained, and twists to stretch. He grimaces, probably not used to the ache in his bones after not shifting for so long.

“It’s okay.” Hope repeats, checking to make sure he’s alright. His eyes are shut and his chest has a splatter of dirt on it, but overall he seems fine.

Good.

Hope has a monster to kill.

-

Apparently, things at the game had taken a turn for the worse after Hope left. Some gossipy kids in town were quick to inform her of how Alaric started an all-out brawl and Ethan mysteriously broke his arm while playing.

So, out of concern, and in the spirit of friendship, Hope is sitting outside of the hospital.

It’s late and she hasn’t had dinner, but honestly, Hope has no other place to go. It feels only right that she be here. She isn’t very close with Ethan, but he has always been kind to her since they met, and she feels a strange hint of guilt at what happened to him. The way the kids described it to her leads Hope to guess that the incident was caused by magic, since most people don’t just randomly have their bones snapped by the air.

She has no idea why her friends are being so reckless. First the game and now this. They’ve always prided themselves on secrecy, not clear displays of power.

Hope curls in on herself more, the wooden bench firm and uncomfortable underneath her, and runs her pencil over the notebook in her lap. She draws a faint sketch of a person, a vague face, a rounded nose and dark hair.

Light footsteps sound in her ears and a shadow appears before her.

Josie.

The girl stands, fragile and delicate, not looking anything like the powerful witch she is. She cups her hands around her elbows, hugging herself closely, and ducks her head an inch to reveal tear-streaked cheeks. Her gaze never leaves the hospital and the guilt never leaves her eyes.

Hope watches Josie for a while, refraining from saying anything until the brunette notices her.

“What are _you_ doing here?” Josie asks, her tone somewhere between remorseful and accusatory.

“My friend broke his arm.” Hope sees the exact moment the misplaced anger fades from Josie’s expression, replaced by pure guilt. She knows what Josie did in an instant. “What are you doing here?”

Josie doesn’t respond, instead choosing to suck her bottom lip into her mouth and glance back at the hospital as if it’s going to participate in their conversation.

She shivers and tucks a strand of hair behind her ear, still in her thin football uniform. “Is he okay?”

“I don’t know.”

Josie huffs softly, like _that_ is the most unhelpful comment in the world, and, despite the situation, Hope’s mouth twitches into a barely-there smile.

“Would you…” Josie spares one more anxious glance at the building. She reaches behind her back and produces a white flower. “Would you give him this for me?”

Hope frowns at the blatant display of magic.

Since when did Josie get so reckless? Does she just expect Hope to believe she had that flower tucked inside of her pants or something?

“Sure.” Hope replies and takes the offered plant.

Their fingers brush for a split second during the trade-off and Hope’s chest tightens strangely, her eyes flickering down to the chain that peeks out from around Josie’s neck.

“Nice necklace.” She blurts, not thinking. “It’s pretty.”

“Oh.” Josie pulls it from her shirt with two fingers, a furrow growing between her eyebrows as she inspects the talisman as if she has never seen it before. She holds it for a moment longer, but soon swiftly tucks it away. “Thank you.”

Then she’s gone.

Hope is alone for a solid minute before someone else approaches her, this time from behind.

“Hope?”

It surprises her more the second time around, since she hasn’t really gotten used to Maya’s smell yet. Josie’s is familiar, light perfume and vanilla, and Maya’s is like… the woods. Earthy, almost like another wolf’s scent.

“Hey.” Hope greets gently. Maya looks even more fragile than Josie. “How’s Ethan?”

It’s the wrong thing to say.

Maya crumbles immediately, breaking down into sobs and shaking her head while she gasps out words about Ethan’s life being ruined. Hope isn’t great at the whole comforting thing, but she tries, and stands up to hug Maya. She cradles the girl against her and rocks them back and forth a bit, until Maya’s quiet whimpers subside.

“Why are you out on the bench?” Maya steps back and wipes at her eyes with her sleeve. “Are your parents coming to get you or something?”

Her parents.

God, her _family_. They must not even remember her.

“No, no. I don’t really have anywhere to go.” She admits and Maya watches her carefully, coming to some sort of conclusion pretty quickly.

“You can stay with us.” Maya grabs Hope before she can protest and starts to guide them back to the hospital, her grip surprisingly tight. “Come on. Trust me, my mom loves you.”

“Alright.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry there’s not much romance in this chapter, but I’ve gotta character-build since Legacies won’t

Ethan sits up as soon as he sees them enter, his expression brightening just slightly at the pudding cup Maya got him on the way there. His arm is in a cast that’s white except for the spot where his mother already signed it, although the woman is currently nowhere to be seen.

Hope lingers in the corner, clutching the flower. She guesses this is more a time for family than friends.

“Are you feeling any better?” Maya asks and sets the pudding down beside him.

“A little.” Ethan descends on the poor pudding cup, somehow able to eat vigorously with only one hand. His eyes slide to Hope. “Is that for me?”

Hope nods and steps close enough to offer it to him. “All yours.”

“Thank you, but I hope you know I won’t be putting out for this. You’ll have to buy me dinner first.” He winks at her, but a strange look crosses his face once he actually grips the flower.

The furrow between his eyebrows smooths out, his heart rate slows to a less concerning pace, and he blinks hard, as if in a daze. Hope watches intently, able to feel the magic swirling in the air already. Curious, she glances down at the flower, and smiles faintly when she realizes what’s going on.

Of course. Josie cast a pain relieving spell on it.

Seeing him alive and well lessens her concern a smidge, but not entirely. She gets the sense that Josie was the cause of this, but what she can’t get a sense of is why. Josie is usually so sweet and kind. It doesn’t seem like she would be the type to snap someone’s arm over a football game, especially after she advocated for Alaric’s no magic policy last year.

Something must be up. The thought alone turns Hope’s stomach. She foolishly thought that she could save all of her friends, but the monsters are back and now Josie is off harming strangers with black magic.

Hope sighs and sits down in one of the hospital chairs, unlike Maya, who chooses to stand. Her eyes are still a little puffy and show a great deal of worry. Hope understands. Ethan seems to be trying to hide the fact that breaking his arm must have hurt like a bitch, and his attempts at humor aren’t placating his sister at all. Hope wants to help, but she doesn’t know them well enough to truly do anything.

It makes her feel useless.

The door opens and Sheriff Machado comes in, looking exhausted but no less authoritative in her uniform.

“Hey, Eth.” She gives a mom-look to his sugary dinner, but doesn’t comment. “How’s the arm?”

“Dandy.”

Sheriff Mac sighs, like she had expected that answer and nods. “The doctors want you to stay overnight, since it’s already so late. We can get you in the morning.”

“What? No.” Maya protests. “Either we take him now or we stay with him overnight.”

“Honey, the doctors…”

“No, mom.” She cuts her off with a surprising amount of anger, but the sheriff doesn’t seem fazed.

In fact, Sheriff Mac just seems tired. It shows in the sag of her shoulders, in the hollow of her eyes. She drops bonelessly in the seat next to Hope and glances at Hope as if this is the first time she’s noticed her in the room. Hope tries to smile in a comforting manner, but she feels sort of awkward.

“It’s fine.” Ethan assures after a moment. “Just go home, M. I can survive a night.”

Maya worries her bottom lip, but nods. “Fine.”

They stick around for a little while longer, and Hope more or less lurks on the sidelines. She watches Ethan plow through three pudding cups until his mother decides that it’s time for them to leave and for her to find a nurse to bring Ethan some real food, then they all say their goodbyes.

Ethan and Maya share a long hug that reminds Hope of the Saltzman twins affection and Sheriff Mac ruffles his dark hair lovingly.

“I’ll be waiting on that dinner.” Ethan playfully points his spoon at her and Hope rolls her eyes.

“Sure.”

After that, they leave him be. It goes unsaid that Hope is coming home with them. Hope doesn’t feel the need to say anything about it until they are in the back of the cop car and she realizes she hasn’t officially asked if it’s okay for her to sleep at their house or not.

“Are you sure you’re cool with me sleeping over, Ms. Machado?” Hope hesitates to put on her seatbelt.

“Of course, and it’s Sheriff or Sandra.” She starts the car, hot air blowing through the vehicle once it’s done rumbling. “As long as you don’t leave your clothes everywhere like Maya.”

Maya frowns. “Hey!”

The sheriff just laughs and Hope hides a smile.

These aren’t the people she imagined she would be spending her night with, especially since she didn’t know them a couple days ago, but it’s nice to have people recognize her. The energy in the car is a little off, probably due to Ethan’s injury, but the leather seats are warm and a lot less stiff than the bench Hope had napped on earlier.

Their house is definitely a lot more comfortable than a park bench. It has the nice, suburban look to it, with a white picket fence and trimmed lawn.

The inside of it is more or less the same, from what Hope can see. Family pictures hang on the walls, photos of Maya and Ethan at Disneyland or more recent ones of them standing in front of the school. The wooden floorboards creak under the weight of all three of them, the clear signs of a well-loved house jumping out at Hope instantly.

Their scents are all muddled together, too. Dryer sheets, dish soap, and under that something earthy. Again, like a wolf, but not quite.

Supernatural-adjacent.

Pretty ironic, considering the town they live in.

“Thank you for having me.” Hope says, politely, as they stand in the living room.

“It’s no problem, Hope.” The Sheriff smiles kindly and glances between the two teenagers, then at the couch. “I don’t know if you want to sleep down here or—“

“Hope can stay in my room, mom.” Maya says and somehow Hope is half up the stairs already, her hand in Maya’s.

“Door open!”

“Okay!”

Despite the agreement, Hope ends up in Maya’s bedroom with the door closed. She eyes it for a second, not sure she wants to break any rules now that the sheriff has taken her in, but decides to not say anything.

“Mi casa, es su casa.” Maya gestures to the entirety of her room.

The walls are blue and lined with cheerleading trophies, and the floor is (as Sheriff Mac said earlier) messy, due to the clothes strewn around it. Although, it does have a certain silent charm to it, much like the girl herself.

Maya flops on the bed and points her gaze to the ceiling. “You can borrow some clothes, if you want.”

Hope doesn’t want to take too much.

“I’m alright.” She shrugs dismissively.

“Whatever you say, Ms. Jeans and T-Shirt.” Maya slips out of her clothing and into some pajamas rather quickly, though Hope wouldn’t know, since she is more focused on getting used to the scent of the room. “I really think you should let me give you a makeover again.”

“Hey, my clothes are fine.” Hope defends, not angrily, only the slightest bit offended.

“Mhmm.”

“They _are_.”

Maya smirks and plucks one of the pillows off of her bed. She taps Hope with it and Hope picks one up to defend herself, reminded of the time she had gotten into a particularly forceful pillow fight with Lizzie and Josie.

Lizzie played dirty, but Maya is nicer, and lands a few small hits on her side before stopping.

When they are done with their tiny fight, Hope looks around the room once more before starting to get comfortable on the floor. She considers piling up Maya’s clothes into a makeshift bed, but that idea seems ridiculous and Maya tells her so.

“You don’t have to sleep on the floor.” She points out. “You can sleep on the bed, if you want.”

Hope usually doesn’t sleep with strangers, but it’s been a long day and she was already getting tired of falling asleep in odd places.

“Okay, I guess.” She shrugs and Maya offers her a friendly smile before going to turn off the lights.

They lay side by side together, not touching, just staring up at the ceiling silently. Hope starts to think deeply about what she’ll do in the morning, if she will run or stay.

Returning to the Salvatore School seems like a bad idea for so, so many reasons, but it’s one of the few places she considers to be her home. It’s not like her family would remember her if she ran off to New Orleans, but at least there are not too many obvious problems there. She has no idea how she would look Landon in the eye if he chose Josie over her, but she also has no idea how she would feel if he didn’t.

It seems so cruel, that it’s Josie of all people.

Hope can’t stand to see her sad. It’s something about the watery eyes and pout, she’s sure, but also Josie is... Josie is her closest friend.

_Was_ her closest friend, anyways.

Hope swallows hard, not sure why the action is now difficult, and shoots a glance towards Maya. It’s only then that she notices how Maya’s heart is beating abnormally, her hands clutching at the sheets far too tightly.

“Are you okay?” Hope whispers.

“It’s just…” Maya sighs and fidgets with the hem of her pajama top, clearly distressed. “Football is everything to Ethan and family is everything to me.”

Family.

Just the word brings her back to her parents, to her aunts and uncles, to the people who lived and died for her. She feels a sharp pang in her chest at the thought of them and shakes off the painful memories.

“I understand that.” She replies, finally.

“What about you?” Maya turns on her side, but it’s too dark for them to see each other. “You don’t really talk about yourself.”

“I don’t really like to.”

Hope gets the sense that Maya needs more than that. If she is offering up her house and bed to Hope, then she needs _more_.

“I like those horrible reality shows, though.” She adds after a beat of silence, and thankfully Maya laughs.

Maya shifts around and grabs something off the nightstand. Hope realizes it’s a laptop when she sets it between them and opens it up. She sees Maya immediately go to a (probably illegal, if the plethora of ads is anything to go by) streaming site.

“Jersey Shore, coming right up.”

-

“Okay, okay. I’m not a china doll.” Ethan protests as they walk him through the front door Saturday morning, Maya’s arm wrapped around his waist to make sure he doesn’t trip or fall.

He shoves her away and she sticks her tongue out at him childishly until Sheriff Mac tells them to cut it out.

“C’mon, upstairs.” Maya instructs and Ethan sighs at being babied. “You need to rest, Eth.”

Hope follows behind them, climbing the stairs slowly.

“I think we should go.” Ethan whispers. Hope isn’t sure what he’s talking about.

Maya shakes her head. “No, idiot, your _arm_.”

She doesn’t engage in their conversation but she does keep on catching the both of them glancing backwards to make sure she is still there. It’s odd how they both seem to think Hope will randomly run away, even if she had been planning to do just that not long ago.

Hell, she might still run away. She isn’t entirely sure yet, but first she has to find some way to pay the sheriff back for breakfast this morning.

They reach Ethan’s room, which is just as full of trophies as Maya’s, except his have footballs on them instead of pom-poms. His room basically resembles what one would expect from a typical teenage boy: a stack of weights, some sports magazines, and two Fast and Furious movie posters.

His bedsheets are brown and he sinks onto them like he has been placed on a fluffy cloud.

“Hope, settle this for us.” Maya puts her attention on Hope suddenly. “Should Ethan go or not go to a party at the lake this afternoon, where he will _inevitably_ get his cast wet and _inevitably_ get in trouble?”

It’s obvious which choice Maya wants Hope to make.

“I won’t swim.” Ethan interrupts, before Hope can answer. “Plus, the team needs to see I’m okay. I don’t want to spend my day in bed. _And_ , Maya, you know Cindy Ryerson has wanted to hook up with you since freshman year. She’ll be there. And, honestly, Hope looks like she could use a break from all the brooding.”

“What? I don’t brood.” Hope frowns.

Ethan smiles secretively. “Yeah, you kind of do. You’re all…”

He does a poor impression of Hope’s scowl, but it’s all in good fun, and manages to make both of the girls laugh. Hope’s chest feels lighter once he is done and he smiles at her like he’s been given yet another trophy.

“Fine, fine.” Maya concedes. “But not for Cindy, for Hope. I’m worried she’ll reach Cullen levels of lurking.”

“Whatever.” Hope rolls her eyes, pulling another laugh out of Maya.

They continue on this way for a minute more, going back and forth with the jokes and gentle teasing. At some point, Maya decides to fluff Ethan’s pillow, and it’s around that time that Hope realizes she just indirectly agreed to stick around for a party. She doesn’t even have a bathing suit.

“I don’t really have anything to swim in.” Hope tells them, sort of hoping they’ll just ditch her.

Maya waves her off. “I’ll get you a suit.”

Before Hope can even think of another excuse, Maya is walking determinedly across the hall to go fetch her something to swim in. Hope watches for a moment, at a loss, but eventually accepts her fate. She looks back at Ethan one last time to make sure he’s okay, but Maya has adequately fluffed his whole bed, so he seems fine.

She tries to leave and doesn’t get very far, due to Ethan’s hand clasping her wrist.

“Hope.” He calls, softly, and she pauses. “Can you look out for Maya today? She’s not the best swimmer and I obviously can’t get in the water.”

“Sure. I promise I will.” Hope agrees easily and he lets her go, grinning.

“Thanks.”

Hope crosses the hall to enter Maya’s room and gets a red bikini tossed at her immediately. She raises her eyebrows at the skimpy swimwear, internally trying to remember the last time she swam or wore something that showed so much skin.

“Trust me.” Maya says, perhaps noticing her unease. “You’ll look hot.”

-

Once night falls and Sheriff Machado leaves to go patrol the town, Hope, Ethan, and Maya sneak out to the party.

The lake is full of people - full of strangers. Hope doesn’t recognize a single person here, which is understandable, since all of them appear to be Mystic Falls High students. It’s almost weird to see them up close, because years of attending boarding school has made Hope start to forget the world outside of those walls.

Turns out, the world outside is _alive_.

Teenagers talk and laugh amongst themselves, some of them swimming together or splashing each other with water. A lot of them have cups in their hands and there is a keg against a tree, which is making everyone increasingly loud and rowdy. People are moving to the music easily, not stopping to think for a second about what could happen if their parents caught them.

It’s the type of effortless fun that comes from not knowing what lurks in the darkest corners of the world. It’s beautiful. Hope has the urge to paint it all - the bright colors, the grins, the clear signs of life.

“Wow.” Hope breathes, still looking at the people.

She had never been one for parties back at the school. Occasionally, she would indulge in one or two, usually if Josie begged her to, but being out at the Old Mill for so long always unsettled her. She felt as if there was danger at every turn and she constantly had to be on edge to be prepared, but here it’s different.

There is still danger, of course, but Hope doubts something magical is going to happen here.

Ethan inspects her closely. “You don’t get out much, do you?”

“Homeschool.” She shrugs.

“That explains a lot.” He chuckles to himself.

Maya joins them shortly after. She had lingered behind them to shut the truck off and gather up some towels, but now she stands beside them and surveys the party.

“You sure you’re good?” Maya questions, her words directed at Ethan.

“Yes, mom.” Ethan huffs and rolls his eyes. “I’m going to go find the guys. You should try and go find Cindy.”

The guys are not far away and accept Ethan with open arms, teasing him and offering him a beer within seconds of his arrival. He molds into the crowd effortlessly.

Maya watches him go, a building frown on her face. “Can you believe him?”

“Yes, actually.” Hope ignores Maya’s surprised look. “He’s trying to distract himself. You should try and distract yourself, too. Go find Celia or whatever her name is.”

“Cindy.” She corrects and drops her eyes shyly. “You sure you’ll be okay being alone for a bit?”

“Yes. _Go_.”

Maya actually listens this time and disappears in the direction of a tall, perky blonde in a very tiny, very pink bikini.

Meanwhile, Hope decides to swim. She has no one to talk to and isn’t really in the mood to try and make friends with anyone else here, so she slips into the water and starts to swim far out into the lake. It doesn’t take her long to get away from everyone else. She is a tribrid, after all. She puts distance between herself and those drunk teens with minimal effort.

The water feels nice on her skin. It’s surprisingly limpid and warm for a lake, but Hope isn’t about to question the small pleasantries of life. She rolls onto her back and floats for a while, letting herself enjoy the stars and sounds of nature.

“Hope.”

The voice startles her enough that she splashes around and accidentally swallows a mouthful of water in her quest to see who it is. Hope hadn’t heard anyone swim over to her.

It’s Landon.

His head is over the surface of the water, the rest of him completely submerged, but he is just as familiar to her as ever. Dark, wet curls, a dopey smile, and pretty eyes. Landon tilts his head to the side, watching her intensely.

“Landon?” Hope asks, a million questions popping up in her mind. Why is he here? How did he even get here?

“I came to see you.” Landon replies, although Hope hadn’t voiced any of her questions aloud. “I got one of the witches to do a locator spell as soon as I remembered.”

“Remembered?”

“I think it’s because of my dad. I remember you, Hope. I remember I love you.” He states boldly, but Hope’s brain is still spinning too quickly to fully register his words.

They make her happy enough to drift closer to him, but something feels… off.

Landon grows impatient.

“Are you not going to say it back?” He questions, a bit of an edge to his tone. Hope pauses.

Landon bobs under the surface and then rises up spitting water out of his mouth, but it is not _his_ mouth. His lips are now pink and pouty. It’s not him at all.

It’s Josie.

“Hey, Hope.” Josie greets. Hope is now sure that something is amiss, but the softness of Josie’s tone throws her off. “I can’t believe you went to a party without me.”

“I…” Hope tries to swim backwards, but she is only lulled in closer by Josie’s sweet voice.

Josie watches her warmly. “I missed you.”

“You did?” She nearly forgets all reason at the sight of Josie’s grin, drifting forward as if pulled in by some kind of mystical force. Like a siren.

Wait.

“Shit.” Hope gasps, barely having time to register what is happening before Not-Josie grabs her and starts to drag her down.

The creature shifts into its true form once they are fully underwater. Josie’s tan skin melts away, revealing pale blue scales and gills. It is nearly twice the size of Josie in height, but appears to be almost paper thin and practically translucent. Hope can see glimpses of its insides, strange organs and slimy intestines.

It tries to sink its claws into Hope, but can only manage to pull her down further as she squirms.

It’s grip on her is iron-tight around her waist, not letting up for a second. Hope panics slightly, the world around her seeming to disappear as they sink farther and farther into the water. She tries to struggle, but ends up swallowing liquid, and freaks out more.

Before the monster can drown her, Hope focuses on its body. She rapidly scans it for any weak spots and soon finds its heart, beating just under its nearly see-through skin.

She rips it out.

The creature goes limp immediately. It begins to sink down into the lake, so Hope swims upwards in search of air. She finally reaches the surface, gasping wildly, sucking in huge gulps of air until she feels somewhat safe again.

“Hope?” It’s Maya, this time, and Hope eyes her warily, unsure if she should trust that it’s her or not. “You looked like you were going to drown.”

Hope inspects Maya for a minute more, noting that the girl actually seems out of breath from swimming this far. She peers down into the water and thinks of what it had felt like to pull the heart out of that creature’s body. It was definitely dead.

“Maybe we should go. It’s late.” Hope suggests.

“Okay.”

They both start to swim towards shore. Hope stays behind Maya the entire time, watching her protectively, unsure of whether or not anything else could attack them. She feels more relaxed once they are back on solid ground and even better when they eventually find Ethan.

Ethan seems to be a little out of it, which is a nice way of saying that he has reached Alaric levels of intoxication.

“Truck?” He questions, staring at it like a new invention.

Maya stuffs him into the passenger seat. “Yes, _truck_. Dumbass.”

“Meanie.”

Hope laughs and climbs into the backseat. She shares a glance with Maya, who fortunately looks more amused than exasperated. Maya doesn’t smell like alcohol, so Hope allows her to start up the car. She has a pretty good idea of what the other girl got up to instead of drinking tonight, if the lipstick stains and faint red blotches on her throat are anything to go by.

As they drive off into the night together, Ethan turns on some music. He drunkenly blasts it and Maya scolds him over the loud sounds, but does not move to lessen the volume.

“Oh, I love this song!” Ethan declares, singing along in an off-key voice. “ _And what comes next? Hey, bust a move._ ”

He points at Maya.

Apparently they’ve done this before, because Maya joins in with the chorus without hesitation. She actually sounds good, unlike Ethan’s drunk karaoke attempts. Hope is laughing before she knows it, charmed by their sibling antics and the pure, unrestrained joy that flows between them.

She even hums along a little, causing Ethan to cheer wildly and Maya to drum her fingers on the steering wheel. They all chime in on the next lyrics together.

“ _So don’t just stand there, bust a move!_ ”

Mid-laugh, Hope spots someone standing in the middle of the street. A dark figure in a red hood.

“Maya, watch out!” She yells and Maya jerks the wheel hard, swerving to the side. The car flies off the road with a sharp jolt and bounces roughly as it shoots forward, slamming into a nearby traffic light.

Hope’s body whips up but is held back by her seatbelt and Maya’s head nearly collides with the steering wheel.

Her vision swims as she tries to get a handle on what just happened. Aside from the whiplash and adrenaline, Hope feels fine, but the strong scent of blood and oil is thick in the air. Smoke spews from the engine, clouding Hope’s eyes to the point that she can barely see.

She hears Maya coughing wetly, not far from her, and kicks open the car door. Hope stumbles out onto the street and quickly pulls Maya from the vehicle, holding her up by her waist.

Half of the car is smashed in, the passenger side absolutely wrecked. It’s curved in on itself, like a snapped bone, and Ethan is…

There’s just so much blood.

“Fuck.” Hope feels Maya’s body tremble. “Are you okay?”

“Ethan, he—” Maya points and coughs throatily, her voice failing her as more smoke leaks from the car. Hope drags her as far away as possible, but Maya begins to struggle and gesture back to the road more.

“Ethan.” She repeats, weakly.

Hope continues to tug Maya away, ignoring how Maya writhes against her. The side of the car is destroyed to the point that Hope knows what must have happened, but she listens closely for a third heartbeat anyways. She doesn’t find one.

Ethan is dead.

Tears spring to her eyes unexpectedly. Hope tries to get a handle on herself, but all of a sudden her chest feels so hollow that she can barely draw a single breath. It doesn’t help that Maya struggles so fiercely, that she pushes against Hope’s chest with unexpected strength and actually manages to get out of Hope’s hold.

Maya stumbles forward towards the car, towards her brother, and abruptly drops to her knees. A pained groan falls from her mouth. Hope rushes to her side.

“Maya?” She inspects her wildly. “What’s wrong? Did you get injured?”

“I…” Maya fails to answer. She shoves Hope away. Hard. “I don’t know what’s happening to me.”

Maya lifts her head, revealing glowing, yellow eyes.


	3. Chapter 3

It’s late.

The police station is practically empty, except for the officers and Hope and Maya. There was no need for them to visit a hospital. If either of them sustained any injuries, they healed a while ago.

Police issued towels are draped over their bodies to protect them from the cold, but Maya keeps on shivering. Hope notices each tick or quiver of her jaw, no matter how slight. She tries to keep her gaze subtle, but still firmly set on Maya, since the cops aren’t being of much help. They checked to make sure neither of them were drinking alcohol or harmed, but other than that there’s not much to do except wait for Sheriff Machado.

Maya’s face is puffy and swollen, her bottom lip chewed raw where it’s held between her teeth.

Hope leans over to squeeze her arm reassuringly but it doesn’t have much effect. Maya was a total wreck earlier, sobbing and screaming on the side of the road, but she fell silent as soon as the cop cars approached and has not said a single word since.

Officers pass by them, occasionally offering up coffee or their condolences.

The pity makes Hope’s skin itch, even though it isn’t directed at her. She hates being here. She hates having the smell of death on her and not having a place to shower, but most of all Hope hates not being able to help.

She has no phone.

She has nothing to give but a hug, which is useless in the grand scheme of things.

“Hey, Derek.” Maya calls one of the younger cops by his first name, so he slows nearby them. “Isn’t my mom supposed to be on patrol tonight?”

Hope perks up slightly. At least Maya is speaking now.

“No. I think Sandra’s on a date.” Derek explains. He doesn’t use a condescending tone to speak to Maya, but he does fail to keep the pity out of his eyes when confusion flickers over her face. “I think it’s a teacher. He’s got some weird name. Aaron? Rick?”

Alaric.

Alaric is dating the sheriff?

“Okay, thanks.” Maya forces a smile and Derek nods politely before walking away.

“He seems nice.” Hope comments.

Maya slumps in her chair a little. “Yeah, he used to be Ethan’s football coach.”

“Oh.”

Hope tugs the towel tighter around her body. She wishes she wasn’t still in a bikini. She isn’t great at comforting people and being half-naked is only making her feel more uncomfortable.

She feels completely out of place.

This wasn’t her plan. Hope was supposed to go. All she has to offer the world now is pain.

“I’m going to get some air.” Hope stands, almost stumbling on unsteady feet, and locates the door without another glance at Maya.

It’s much chillier outside than it is inside, but she has never had a problem with the cold, and does not pause to try and warm herself up on her way out. She only stops when someone bumps into her and grabs her by the arm.

“Hope?”

Alaric stands beside Sheriff Machado. He’s in a nice suit and she is wearing a fancy dress.

“Maya is in there.” Hope points her thumb behind her instead of responding to Alaric’s greeting. He seems confused by her presence, but nods while the sheriff runs in to go see her daughter.

Once Sheriff Machado is out of earshot, Hope turns to Alaric. “Maya’s a wolf.”

Alaric frowns, taken aback.

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah. I saw her eyes.”

Hope continues to walk past Alaric, catching the strong scent of cheap cologne and bourbon.

“Wait!”

Hope doesn’t listen.

“What are you doing?” Alaric calls. He doesn’t follow her down the sidewalk, but for a second it looks as if he might. “You can’t just leave!”

Wrong. She can and she will. She keeps walking and doesn’t look back. This isn’t her problem.

Hope gets to the end of the block before she is forced to stop for passing cars.

_Can you look out for Maya?_

_I promise I will._

Hope releases a heavy sigh, unfurling her hands. She hadn’t even noticed they’d been clenching into fists. She made a promise. She has to keep her word.

Making her decision, Hope turns around.

She can hear the sound of Maya speaking to the sheriff even from down the block, but she has to get through the door to make out actual words.

The sheriff and Maya are talking while Alaric sits in a chair nearby, sipping a hot cup of coffee.

“I wasn't drinking or anything, I promise. We were just having some fun, I didn’t even want to go. It all happened _so fast_.” Maya croaks, her mouth snapping shut for a moment when it seems as if she may cry. “We were singing, because Ethan likes those old songs. You know how he is- _was_. There was... this man in a red cloak.”

“A man in red?”

“I don’t know, but he was there. Hope saw him, too.” Maya points towards her and Hope freezes.

She didn’t think that anyone noticed her returning but clearly Maya had. All eyes turn to her. Hope glances at Alaric, catching the unsubtle raise of his eyebrows.

A man in a red cloak sounds suspicious.

“Yeah, I saw him.” Hope confirms.

“Did you talk to him at all?” Sandra questions.

“Well… no.”

The sheriff deflates, but nods once and carries on. She goes to the front desk to speak to her coworkers about something Hope doesn’t try to hear, handling the situation with ease despite the strain in her shoulders.

It’s only a few minutes later when she returns and hauls Maya to her feet, wrapping an arm around her torso.

Sandra smiles thinly. “I’m sorry I have to cut our date short, Ric—“

“No, no. Don’t be sorry.” Alaric clears his throat uncomfortably and sends another unsubtle look towards Hope. She gets the sense they’ll need to discuss the werewolf problem later, before a full moon comes. “It’s okay. We can postpone or you can call me if you need anything. I’m sorry this happened.”

“Thank you.” The sheriff murmurs.

Hope watches the interaction silently. She stays put, ignoring her instincts, which tell her to run.

Soon, the sheriff’s spare arm is draped over her and Hope feels herself getting tugged into the older woman’s side.

“Come on, Hope. We’re going back home.”

-

Few words are exchanged during the drive home and barely any are spoken once they’re inside of the house.

“There’s food in the fridge if you two are hungry.” Sandra murmurs, sounding detached and heavy on her way up the stairs. “I’m going to…”

Whatever she was going to say never comes.

Soon, Hope and Maya are standing in the living room alone.

The Machados don’t seem like the type to be hysterical about this, but there’s a quiet, deep sadness in the house that Hope can feel in her bones.

“Do you want anything?” Hope offers. “I can heat something up for you, if you want.”

“No, thanks. I’m not hungry.” Maya curls in on herself on the couch.

Hope waits for a moment before dropping onto the cushion beside her. She doesn’t know what to say. She barely knew Ethan. She barely knows Maya, but she tries.

She _tries_.

She tries to understand their way of grieving in silence and respect it, even if she deals with her own grief loudly, with anger.

“Maybe we should change?” Hope suggests, but Maya shakes her head.

“No.”

Sleeping in a bikini on the couch obviously isn’t ideal, but Hope doesn’t complain. She keeps her mouth shut as Maya curls into a ball at her side, suddenly looking three times smaller, and wraps her arm around the other girl. Hope’s skin soon becomes wet, either from tears or the lingering lake water on Maya, but she stays still and holds Maya tightly until snores fill the dark room.

Hope hears the sheriff crying in the other room and wonders if Maya can hear it, too, with the new abilities and all.

She hopes not.

-

The next morning, Alaric and MG show up at the house with innocent smiles on their faces.

MG looks like a bible salesman. He holds out his hand in greeting while introducing himself (Hope is the one to take his hand, because Sandra and Maya seem too taken aback by his bright energy to do so), and his handshake is firmer now than the first time they met.

“Hi. I’m MG.” He says it like he practiced it in the mirror this morning.

“Hope.” She replies.

Hope remembers when they did this years ago, his fingers trembled and his eyes were haunted by his own death. She thinks it was a shooting that got him, but she isn’t sure. What she can recall from that day is how his eyes had lit up at the word _tribrid_ and he had followed her around, going on a dorky spiel.

_(“You’re really all three? Awesome!”)_

She smiles in remembrance and he smiles back. He must be excited about getting called out for missions now that Hope is gone.

Not gone.

Just forgotten.

“Ma’am.” MG moves onto Sheriff Machado and Hope tries not to laugh. He’s such a kiss-ass.

Once Sandra finishes her awkward exchange with MG, she shifts her footing and glances at Alaric uncertainly. Hope feels bad. It’s still early, so they were all woken up by the sound of the doorbell. If Hope had known Alaric was going to bring MG here to ambush them, then she would have warned them not to show up before noon.

“Principal Saltzman?” Maya yawns, rubbing her eye. “What are you doing there?”

“I think it’s best if we all speak inside.” Alaric says and gestures into the house, until the Machados step aside to allow him in.

MG has to be invited in, but that’s not a problem, since the sheriff seems mildly charmed by him.

This whole process usually goes a lot smoother when parents aren’t involved. It’s common for the school to enroll orphans or students who come from troubled homes, so not much compulsion or lying is needed. Hope is almost surprised to see Alaric pull out one of the old, fake pamphlets for the school that markets it as a strict, expensive institution for troubled youth. He lies about Maya getting a scholarship and makes a vague remark about her acting out (sneaking in and out of the house at all hours of the night) that makes Sandra agree with him on a parent level.

It sickens Hope.

She knows how this works and that they have to lie to protect their secrets, but Maya looks aghast at being labeled as a troubled kid.

“And you’re a student at the school?” Sandra asks MG, who perks up at being noticed.

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Well.” She bites the inside of her cheek. “You do seem very well-behaved.”

Alaric takes the chance to slide some papers across the coffee table, along with a ballpoint pen.

He may not be the headmaster, but he sure acts like it. Professor Vardemus is nowhere in sight.

“ _Mom_.” Maya interjects. “You can’t seriously be considering this.”

“You haven’t been yourself lately. You sneak out, you sneak people in. You’re angry more often than not. To be honest, Maya, it’s not the first time I’ve thought about getting you some help.”

“But mom—“

“Why don’t you girls go in the other room?” Alaric suggests kindly, giving Hope a meaningful look.

Hope nods and guides Maya into the kitchen.

Maya paces the length of the room for a moment until she collapses in the nearest chair, rubbing her forehead tiredly. “This is all _so much._ ”

“It’s not going to be as bad as you think.” Hope murmurs.

“How do _you_ know?” Maya snaps, obviously not expecting an answer.

Hope is intent on giving her one, anyways. She kneels in front of Maya for long enough that it gets her attention. The anguish on Maya’s face surprises her, but it shouldn’t. Ethan’s death was mere hours ago, and all of this can’t be helping.

_Oh, to hell with it._

Hope forces her eyes to flash gold, her vision swimming with color for a short moment. It’s long enough that Maya notices, yelps, and stumbles out of her chair.

“Holy shit! Your eyes do the thing, too.” Maya scrambles away, more than a little freaked out. “I thought I was crazy.”

“You’re not.” She shakes her head. “Trust me.”

Maya seems to calm down slightly.

“I do.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promise there’s way more hosie interactions from here on out, since they’re going to the school


End file.
